Meaning of the Name Obadiah
Obadiah appears in Hebrew as Ovadyah and is generally explained as "servant of YHWH" or "worshiper of Yahweh." The first part of the name carries the idea of servanthood and service. This is a classic and strong etymology.
Origin
The name Obadiah is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Obadiah in the Bible?
Obadiah is used for more than one person in the Bible. The best-known bearer is the prophet of the short book of Obadiah, which speaks against Edom; another notable figure is the palace official in Ahab's time who hid one hundred prophets. Context determines which Obadiah is intended.
The story of Obadiah in the Bible
The name Obadiah belongs to more than one man in the Bible, and context decides which one is meant. Chronologically we first meet Obadiah the palace steward in the days of King Ahab: while Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets, this faithful official hid a hundred of them in caves, in two groups of fifty, and kept them supplied with bread and water. Scripture presents him as a man who deeply revered the LORD. The best-known bearer of the name, however, is the prophet whose message fills the shortest book of the Old Testament. His word is aimed at Edom, the brother nation that stood aloof and looked on when the people of Jacob suffered disaster. The prophet declares that Edom's pride in its rocky strongholds cannot save it, and that on the day of the LORD every nation will be repaid for what it has done. The book closes in hope: deliverance will come on Mount Zion, and the kingdom will belong to the LORD.
Is Obadiah mentioned in the Quran?
The name Obadiah does not appear in the Quran; in the Old Testament it belongs both to the palace official who hid the prophets in Ahab's day and to the prophet of the short book of Obadiah, which addresses Edom.
Verses where Obadiah appears
- Obadiah 1:1 —
The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Lord Yahweh says about Edom. We have heard news from Yahweh, and an ambassador is sent among the nations, saying, “Arise, and let’s rise up against her in battle.
- 1 Kings 18:3 —
Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared Yahweh greatly:
- 1 Kings 18:4 —
for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Yahweh, that Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)